Securing that your titles are succeeded by someone in your family becomes your most primal concern at the start of the game and securing that your family succeeds to titles as it grows is one of the best strategies to “peacefully” acquire more control. Thus, even if your great nation controls the known world but your family loses control over any lands, it’s “Game over, man. Unlike other games both in Paradox’s stable and outside of it which tie your fate to a nation, in CKII, your fate is tied to a particular dynasty-and, more specifically, to one person at a time in that dynasty. All the advice below is correct as of the most recent patch with all expansions.

To that end, my liege, whether you’re a new count or a battle-scarred crusader king, allow me to offer some of the most important tips for the novice and veteran alike. That means there’s could be loads of new wannabe rulers needing advice on how to navigate this titan of a strategy game, and we’re here to help. Not long after Crusader Kings 3 was first announced, CK2’s base game was made free for everyone.

To be truly successful in this game requires more than just careful logistical planning of troops and supplies: it also requires navigating the trials of courtly life. The sweeping, human narratives and dramatic turns blur the line between RPG and strategy without ever losing its ‘grand’ pedigree. Essentially character based, it simulates the interpersonal nature of politics in the Middle Ages before the advent of nation-states. Out of all of Paradox’s grand strategy games, I dare to say that Crusader Kings II is the most unique.

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